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Thursday, December 29, 2005

Hartford Whalers Possible Return ?

When the Karmanos family decided to up and move the Whalers who's history was deeply rooted into the surrounding community, the hockey world lost a large portion of their history. With this new news, it may be looking once again to get a major hockey team.

Sure they weren't very popular nationally at the time of their demise, but places like eBay I have seen sell many throwback sweaters. Would Bettman and companions be able to see this as a demand?

The hockey world has been in a seven or eight year debate on weather or not it was wise for the NHL to abandon such strong markets and invest in growing the "empire" to the previously unconquered sunbelt states.

"We've got our own money, we're willing to invest in an arena and we're willing to buy a team," he said. "It would be an important entity and symbol of the city, the region and the state."

Now here's an additional topic to think about and debate. Should Hartford go with an eye for and eye strategy and steal away another NHL franchise like the one that was savagely ripped from them ?

I suppose it would only be poetic justice for the Carolina Hurricanes to file a change of their "tobacco road" address. But, it's been a while and the fans in in Raleigh deserve to support their franchise. I'm against ANY team in the NHL moving. Period. So, the only other fair way for Hartford to get a new franchise would be to get an expansion team. With the NHL already dealing with the criticism that it's been overextended with expansion and even wrestles with contraction, a fresh team in Hartford seems unlikely.

The new arena would replace the Hartford Civic Center under the proposal, which was announced Wednesday amid talk of the Civic Center's future.

I remember in the days before Hartford flew south that the old antiquated Hartford Civic Center was dubbed "the mall" for it's very small size. Congratulations to the city for coming up with a new place to host events in - no matter who ends up playing there.